Most graphical user interfaces (UIs) use an on-screen cursor that can be controlled by the user to point to various UI elements on a display screen. Some of these UI elements are user-activatable elements such as icons or links that provide access to other resources such as documents, web pages, applications, and the like. The resource or item that is referenced by an icon or link is referred to as a target.
Depending on the particular operating system and context, the target can be opened or launched by activating the user-activatable element. Activation of the user-activatable element can take place in various ways. For example, the user can position the cursor so that it is on top of the user-activatable element, and then can click, double-click, or right-click a user input device (such as a mouse, keyboard, or the like). In some operating systems, different actions take place depending on the nature of the user input; for example, double-clicking may cause the target to open, while right-clicking may cause a menu to appear that gives the user a number of options as to how the target should be opened. Such operations are familiar to users and are employed in many different contexts in today's user interfaces.
It is often useful for a user to be given an indication as to the content of the target, before the user clicks on the user-activatable element that will open the target. However, in many cases, the text or icon normally associated with a user-activatable element is insufficient to provide a user with enough information to determine whether the target is of interest. Often, the text or icon normally associated with a user-activatable element provides minimal information as to a) the content of the target; and b) what applications might be available to open the target.
It is known to change the appearance of the on-screen cursor to indicate a current mode or type of functionality that is available with respect to a particular area of the screen. For example, when the on-screen cursor is positioned in a text entry field, the cursor may change to a text entry cursor (vertical bar); when the cursor is positioned over a movable object, the cursor may change to a hand or arrow. In this manner, the user is given some information as to the type of input operation that can be performed.
In addition, it is known to change the appearance of the on-screen cursor to indicate a current state of the system. For example, when the system is busy, the cursor may change to an hourglass so as to inform the user of the current state.
However, such limited information generally fails to provide useful information about a target item referenced by a user-activatable element. In particular, current user interfaces do not generally provide any technique for providing detailed information about a target within a cursor in a manner that is responsive and dynamically controllable by the user.
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method for providing information about a target before the user activates the icon or link that will open the target. What is further needed is a system and method for providing information about what applications might be available to open or access the target before the user activates the item, such as an icon or link that will open the target. What is further needed is a system and method for providing such information in an unobtrusive manner that does not interfere with normal interaction with the user interface. What is needed is a system and method for displaying information about a target by changing the appearance of an on-screen cursor.